Developing Policy Recommendations for TA-NRP Amid Ethical Ambiguity

Saturday, October 25, 2025

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Pacific Time

Location: A105

EG

Eleanor Gilmore-Szott, PhD HEC-C

Director of Clinical Ethics Consultation Program
University of Utah
Salt lake city, Utah
DD

David Dorsey, MD

Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
University of Utah
Saly Lake City, Utah
JS

Jill Sweney, MD MBA

Associate Professor Pediatrics
Primary Children's Hospital
Salt Lake City, Utah
Dominic Moore, MD FAAP FAAHPM (he/him/his)

Senior Medical Director, Hospice and Palliative Care
Intermountain Health
Salt Lake City, Utah

Abstract: Thoracoabdominal normothermic regional perfusion (TA-NRP) is touted as an advancement in organ procurement, which presents an opportunity to increase the organ supply and improve the quality of those organs. Despite these benefits, TA-NRP is ethically and legally fraught, raising questions about how to apply the dead donor rule and if donor patients meet the criteria for death. Without national guidance, ambiguity persists, and individual institutions are left to define boundaries through policy and practice. This panel will present the collaboration process between multiple institutions to develop policy and practice recommendations to govern the use of TA-NRP. This collaboration included representatives from administration, ethics, critical care, and transplant at our respective institutions, all of whom work with the same organ procurement organization (OPO).

Keywords: TA-NRP, Transplant Ethics, Policy Development

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this conference, attendees should be able to:

1. Identify the complexities of the ethical legal landscape surrounding TA-NRP
2. Discuss recommendations for proceeding with TA-NRP in an ethically responsible manner
3. Compare and contrast practice implications for TA-NRP in adult and pediatric populations